Declare Your Energy Independence

With the recent reports on the jobs market continuing to look fairly grim, we need all the investment in new jobs we can get, and when that investment is also good for our greener future, then all the better.

Which is why the ground breaking on the new Energy Sciences Building is such a welcome site for those looking for a boost in employment, as the facility will be responsible for 2,000 new construction, and service jobs, along with the employment of 200 researchers at the facility.

The building itself will be as energy conscious as they come, utilizing things like exhaust heat recovery, local & recycled building materials, and advanced lighting systems, along with a daylighting design.

This new Argonne facility will hopefully lead not only to more advanced battery design patents to keep America competitive in the world, but also nearer term employment opportunities for those looking to dig their way out of this long recession.

The Recovery Act continues to attempt to blanket the country in solar panels, combined with matching funds from District Energy St. Paul, the St. Paul RiverCentre just got the biggest solar thermal project in the upper midwest put on their roof.

Together Minneapolis & St. Paul have launched their Solar in the Cities initiative, aimed at expanding solar use, and decreasing costs for things like installation.

This specific part of the initiative will not only help power the RiverCentre, but excess energy will be used to power a heated water loop, that will provide hot water to other parts of the city like businesses, and even some homes. This rooftop project alone is expected to cover about 1 percent of the districts water heating needs each year. $2 million dollars total to cover 1 percent seems like a bargain, hopefully there will be continued similar commitments in the future, not only to cover those other energy needs, but to continue to drive down the initial costs of constructing, and setup of the solar roof panels that then take care of those needs.

The Department of Energy just announced multiple loan guarantees for solar power development in California. The first for $1.187 billion for SunPower Corporation for the development of the biggest photovoltaic utility scale venture in the nation. The second is a $1.6 billion loan guarantee for BrightSource Energy to build the solar power plants in California, which when built will provide enough power for 85,000 homes per year.

With the endless false concerns for the deficit, this is the kind of spending the government can be doing to help boost the American economy while reducing our need for polluting, and dangerous sources of energy. I look forward to the day when our politics come to their senses on energy, and can lose their minds over some other more trivial argument.